ON THE CAPE.1F1CATI0N OF THE FIG. 197 



with a certain early softening which happens to some of the 

 deciduous fruits pierced by the insect. For, as will be seen here- 

 after, the fly destroys and corrupts the inside of the fig ; when it 

 is already disposed to fall it falls the earlier, and by rotting 

 inside becomes soft the sooner. 



§ 8. Does caprification cause late figs to set in greater numbers 

 than usual ? 



The advocates of caprification affirm that in certain varieties 

 it causes all, or the greater number of fruits, to remain on the 

 tree which otherwise would have fallen oif. To verify this 

 assertion I have many times made tlie common experiment which 

 would occur naturally to any one, that of comparing fig-trees of 

 the same variety, to some only of which the caprifig had been 

 brought, in order to observe the difference. Those I have ob- 

 served with that view are the Lardaro, the Sarnese, the Colombro, 

 and the Sampiero. With regard to the two first, the experiments 

 were made in different localities, especially on the Sarnese, which 

 is very common. None of them showed the slightest effect of 

 the action of tlie fly, in regard to the quantity of fruit ; and if 

 ever any differences were exhibited between the caprified trees 

 and those not acted on by the caprifig, either in favour of or 

 against caprification, they could always, on being well considered, 

 be clearly traceable to other causes (not to speak of soil, climate, 

 vicissitudes of seasons, &c.), as for example, to the age or vigour 

 of the subject, the number of branches, the having been or not 

 enfeebled by a previous superabundant crop, &c. And what I 

 say of the Sarnese may iji like manner be said of the Lardaro, 

 with this exception, that being cultivated almost exclusively in 

 the immediate vicinity of the capital, I had no opportunity of 

 observing it in distant localities. Cultivators affirm that this 

 variety more than any other stands in need of caprification, and 

 indeed it loses generally nearly the half of its fruits. But of 

 this variety I will only state two things, not to fall into lengthy 

 repetitions — first, that the caprified trees lose also a great quan- 

 tity of their figs ; and next, that those not caprified ripen many 

 of theirs, with such differences as are occasioned by the above- 

 mentioned causes or others to which I shall presently advert. 



The double-bearing figs, such as the Paradiso, tlie Colombro, 

 and the Sampiero, usually bring many of their early figs to 

 maturity, and but few or none of the late ones ; and cultivators 

 affirm that by caprification an abundant second crop may be 

 obtained. Although I had often seen tiie Colombro ripen many 

 of the late crop without the caprifig, I nevertheless wished to 

 see the results of comparative experiment. Therefore, in the 

 beginning of July, in the neighbourhood of Pianura, I gave the 

 caprifig to several trees of the Colombro fig ; amongst them 



